Cambridge Common

	Cambridge Common Historic District
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
	U.S. Historic district
	View of the Cambridge Common, ca. 1808-09, with Harvard College on the left and Christ Church on the right.
Location	Roughly SE of Waterhouse St., bordered by Garden St. and Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, Massachusetts
Area	8.5 acres (3.4 ha)
Built	1770
Architectural style	Greek Revival, Federal
MPS	Cambridge MRA
NRHP reference No.	87000499
Added to NRHP	January 26, 1987

Cambridge Common is a public park in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. It is located near Harvard Square and borders on several parts of Harvard University. This park is a popular place to play kickball, softball, soccer, and frisbee. The north end of the park has a large playground. The park is maintained by the Cambridge Department of Public Works.^[3]

History

General George Washington gathered troops on Cambridge Common during the American Revolutionary War. A commemorative plaque marks the location of the Washington Elm, a tree under which legend claims Washington stood as he first assumed command of the Continental Army. Nearby is a trio of bronze cannons, a plaque for Henry Knox, and another for Tadeusz Kościuszko.

Slightly southeast of the center of the Common is a memorial to the American Civil War with a statue of Abraham Lincoln in a covered area near the base of the memorial. On top of the memorial is a statue of a soldier.

Cambridge Common is also the site of an Irish Famine Memorial, dedicated on July 23, 1997 by then President of Ireland, Mary Robinson, and unveiled to an audience of 3,000 people. The Memorial sculpture was created by Maurice Harron, a sculptor from Derry, Northern Ireland. There is a similar memorial in downtown Boston.

Gallery

Civil War Memorial
The Great Hunger in Ireland Memorial
Plaque at entrance: Near this spot on July 3, 1775, George Washington took command of the American Army
Plaque at entrance: In memory of this event, this gate was erected A.D. October, 1906
Plaque: Way to Charlestown
Kemp Playground
Kemp Playground
Commemoration of Dawes's ride. Bronze horseshoes embedded in the sidewalk with inscription: "William Dawes to Lexington April 19, 1775" (correct date was April 18)